Pawar's different yardsticks for party men

NCP supremo Sharad Pawar’s recent outburst at his party man Minister of State for Urban Development, Bhaskar Jadhav, for the extravagant wedding reception for his son at Chiplun in Ratnagiri district calls for assessment, as there is more to it than meets the eye.

Pawar, probably for the first time, could not contain his resentment over the extravagant celebration evident during the lavish wedding. “People from the political field should refrain from indulging in such fat weddings,” Pawar said. He went on to say that when two lakh people attended the wedding of his daughter Supriya Sule at Baramati, all they did was bless her and leave. There was no exuberance or fanfare at the reception in Pawar’s hometown. Though his words of advice to politicians hold water, it must be recalled that a grand reception was hosted at the Mahalaxmi Racecourse soon after the wedding.

Although welcome, one wonders why Pawar has chosen to offer counsel at this juncture. Not long ago, a number of political families had similar big fat weddings. One can recollect the lavish wedding in Pune where Vishwajeet Kadam, son of State Forest Minister Patangrao Kadam married Swapnali Bhosale, daughter of builder Avinash Bhosale. Likewise, weddings of other politicians in recent times were not simple and austere.

So, Pawar’s admonishment is rather harsh in Bhaskar Jadhav’s case. Could it be because of Jadhav’s defiant attitude and recent wrangling with senior party colleague Sunil Tatkare? When Tatkare was neck deep in controversies following huge transactions in the firms floated by his near and dear ones, Pawar solidly backed him.